Remaining relevant in an industry that is forever changing is perhaps the ultimate challenge for a video game franchise. Not only must designers adapt to the advancements in hardware, they must also contend with the everchanging demands of gamers. Many series come and go with the seasons, but a select few have evolved to meet this challenge.
With a combined shelf-life of 384 years and around 500 titles between them, these ten video game series are great examples of what’s required to create a video game legacy. Any aspiring designers would do well to take notice and learn from these groundbreaking franchises.
10 Bomberman (35 Years, 69 Games)
The first Bomberman game was released on the PC-88 back in July 1983. Since then there have been 69 titles released in the series, with the latest coming in the form of the 2018 spin-off, Bombergirl.
Although the series is nowhere near as popular today as it was in the 90’s and early 00’s, Bomberman remains one of gaming’s most iconic characters. He has featured in all manner of games, and is a great shout for a future Smash DLC fighter.
9 Donkey Kong (36 Years, 37 Games)
Although Donkey Kong first hit arcades back in 1981, a lack of recent releases means that the series has been active for 36 years. Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars was the 37th Donkey Kong title released by Nintendo, meaning that the series has released a game at a rate of around one per year.
Although not as large as some of Nintendo’s other IPs, many consider the Donkey Kong Country trilogy to be some of the best games on the SNES. The Donkey Kong series has a wide cast of characters and DK remains a firm fan favorite. He was even given his own 40 episode television series back in the late 90’s.
8 Mario (37 Years, 34/172 Games)
Although the Italian plumber first made his debut in 1981’s Donkey Kong, it would be another two years before Mario got his own title. This came in the form of the Mario’s Cement Factory Game & Watch and released in April 1983. From there, Mario would go on to feature in countless titles.
There are 34 main series Mario titles on console, but when all of his spin-offs are taken into account, that number rises to a whopping 172. These titles have cultivated sales of more than $30 billion, although this still falls some way short of the $90 billion amassed by the Pokémon franchise in a much shorter timespan.
7 Microsoft Flight Simulator (37 Years, 14 Games)
Although work on the first Flight Simulator title began in 1977, it would not be ready for release until 1981. The series holds the honor of being Microsoft‘s longest-running software product, predating Windows by nearly four years.
The latest release of Microsoft Flight Simulator was the 14th entry in the series. As one might expect, it’s the most realistic entry to date and has both sold and reviewed incredibly well. It currently holds a 92 rating on Metacritic, which also makes it the highest-rated entry in the series.
6 Wolfenstein (37 Years, 13 Games)
When Castle Wolfenstein first released back in 1981, the team at Muse Software could have never predicted how successful the series would go on to be. 37 years later, there are a total of 13 Wolfenstein games which have accumulated millions of sales.
Interestingly, there have been no fewer than nine different developers attached to the series at different points in time. The latest titles were developed by French studio Arkane Lyon, although both failed to make much of an impact with fans or critics.
5 Space Invaders (38 Years, 21 Games)
Most gamers weren’t alive when Space Invaders first hit arcades back in 1978. Even so, it’s one of the most recognizable series in gaming. There have only been 21 different releases, although the title has been ported to just about every system imaginable.
The latest release in the series was Arkanoid vs. Space Invaders, which was a crossover with another classic arcade series. Despite the huge developments in gaming though, the mechanics really haven’t changed that much since its first outing. As the old saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
4 Galaxian (39 Years, 23 Games)
Like many long running series, Galaxian started life in the arcades of Japan. It first released in 1979 and has seen a plethora of ports and sequels leading up to 2019’s Galaga Revenge. In total, there are 23 different titles in the series although the basic formula remains virtually unchanged.
Galaxian holds the honor of having one of the most hotly contested high scores in gaming history. Gamers have been competing for the title of best Galaxian player for more than four decades now. The current record stands at 1,653,270 points and is held by Dutch gamer Aart van Vliet.
3 Pac-Man (39 Years, 38 Games)
Toru Iwatani reportedly came up with the idea for Pac-Man while eating pizza at a Tokyo restaurant. This idea would go on to give birth to one of the longest-running and most successful video game franchises of all time. Despite its simplicity, it’s a game with many interesting facts behind it.
Pac-Man serves as the official mascot for Bandai-Namco and has appeared in 38 different titles as well as a number of compilations. The latest release, Pac-Man Party Royale, released for IOS in November 2019 and currently holds a four-star rating on the app store.
2 Game & Watch (40 Years, 48 Games)
When Nintendo announced the Super Mario Bros. Game & Watch last month, it revived one of its oldest series. After huge success in the 80’s, the Game & Watch series seemed to have run its course, with only the 2010 reissue of Ball having been released this side of the year 2000.
In total, there are 63 different Game & Watch systems and 48 distinct games. Due to the series’ long hiatus, however, it’s unlikely that many of today’s gamers will have ever played any of them. Thankfully, the inclusion of Mr. Game & Watch in Smash has helped to keep the series’ legacy alive.
1 The Oregon Trail (46 Years, 19 Games)
The Oregon Trail began life as a teaching aid and aimed to educate 8th-graders about the harsh reality of pioneer life in the 19th century. It first released in November 1971 and has gone on to spawn a further 19 titles. The latest game in the series is Handheld Oregon Trail, which released in 2018.
Although a hugely successful series in its own right, it’s perhaps best known for its meme-worthy content. Most notably, it features an infamous death-screen which informs the player that a character has died from dysentery. This is often altered to reflect topical or comical causes of death.
![\"IT電腦補習](\"http://itteacheritfreelance.hk/test/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/logo2-2.png\"){kind=logo}
www.itsec.hk
www.itsec.vip
www.itseceu.uk
Leave a Reply